


All Will Be Okay

by dianesmalone



Category: Cheers
Genre: Angst, F/M, Happy Ending, Lots of Angst, but like angst tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 17:28:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20086003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dianesmalone/pseuds/dianesmalone
Summary: Sam and Diane get into one of the worst fights of their relationship. It only spirals from there.





	All Will Be Okay

“It’s like you don’t even care about me anymore!” Diane shouts at Sam. 

The couple was standing in their living room, what had started off as just an argument had turned into a full on fight. 

Both sides were equally upset with the other in one way. 

Diane was fighting off the urge to cry. She didn’t want to cry in front of him. If she did then it would make him want to comfort her but she didn’t want that. She was beyond angry with him and frankly she didn’t even want to see his face any longer. 

“That is not true and you know it” he objects, the annoyance in his voice only growing stronger. “I own a bar and I operate that bar. It’s not like I sit around and do nothing all day!” He shouts in return.

Almost as soon as the words came from his mouth he regretted them. Sam knew that this was not going to end well. Though he was mad at her, he never intended on insulting her. Making her feel less than him. Shit. He was really in trouble now. 

“Oh so I do nothing all day? Is that what you think?” she presses.

“I didn’t say that” he retorts.

Diane goes silent. She couldn’t believe that he had implied that she sat around all day and did nothing. He knew that wasn’t true. Though she no longer worked for him, and wasn’t working regular hours like most, she was still working. She had published a book. She was working on a poetry book currently. Some days she would even go over to Boston University and fill in for professors. 

She never sat around and did nothing. She wasn’t the type. If her day wasn’t very busy, Diane would find something to do. How dare Sam imply she did nothing? 

“Diane....” Sam begins. He can’t even get out another word before she starts to speak.

The anger inside of her had boiled to the top. Somehow she manages to keep it together and fights back the tears that were pricking her eyes. 

“Get. Out. Get out of here. I don’t ever want to see your face again” she fumes.

Sam had never seen her so angry before. Her face had turned red, she was clenching her first hard. He knew he had messed up big time.

He steps back and puts his hands up, “Okay... I’m going” Sam assures.

With that, Sam turns and walks toward their front door. He slides on his varsity jacket, grabs his car keys, and walks out.

The second the door closes behind him, Diane drops to the floor. The tears spill out of her eyes faster than they ever had. It wasn’t long until she was sobbing.

She was so frustrated. Hurt that the person she loved more than anything would treat her this way. Not only that, her original problem was that they never spent time together anymore. All she wanted was more time with him. 

Diane wasn’t sure how she was going to recover from this. Nor how /they/ were going to recover from this, if they would. 

⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀  
⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀——⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀  
⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀  
Sam sits in silence and he drives. He felt terrible. He knew the instant the words came form his mouth that they were stupid. Diane meant a lot more to him than she knew. He couldn’t believe he had been so stupid to let things escalate like they had.

He wasn’t sure how they were going to come back from that fight. Hell, he wasn’t sure if they would come back. Maybe this was it for them. 

Sam sighs, unsure of where to go. Frasier’s? No he couldn’t disturb him and his family at this hour. He certainly wasn’t going to stay with Cliff and his mother or with Norm and Vera. He had one another option: Woody. Hopefully Woody would be up this late. 

As Sam begins to take off at a now green light, out of nowhere comes a car thinking they can run the red light with no issue. The car slams right into the side of Sam’s car and pushes it a least a foot before they stop.

The instant Sam is hit, he’s out like a light. 

⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀  
⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀——⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀  
⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀  
Diane groans when she hears the telephone ringing from the kitchen. Who the hell was calling at this hour?

She pulls herself off the couch with a sigh and sluggishly goes over to the phone. Her cheeks were bright red and tear stained. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her usual perfectly tamed hair was a mess. 

It had only been fifteen minutes since Sam had left, so the tears had not quite stopped. She wipes a few away and sniffles as she picks up the phone, “hello?” her voice cracks.

“Hello, this is nurse Jackie with Mass General Division of Tramua. I’m calling to inform you that we have your husband, Sam Malone, in the emergency room. He was struck by another car while driving and is in critical condition. If you-“

Diane doesn’t hear another word. She drops the phone from her hand and stands in shock. For a second it felt like time had stopped. Sam had been struck by another car.

It takes another moment for her to process before she runs out of their home. She was still in her robe and slippers. Still looked like the absolute mess she felt on the inside but she didn’t care.

Diane hops into her own car and pulls out of their driveway in seconds. There was no way in hell she was about to lose all that mattered to her.   
⠀⠀⠀⠀  
As soon as she arrives at the hospital, Diane practically runs up to the front desk. “Hi my name is Diane Chambers-Malone. My husband, Sam Malone, was brought here after a car accident. Can you please please tell me what room he’s in?”

Her heart was pounding out of her chest. Terrified that he wouldn’t make it. Their last moments together were in anger. She would never forgive herself if he didn’t come out of this. 

“I’m sorry miss but he is not in a room right now. He’s still in surgery. You can take a seat over in the waiting room and we’ll have the doctor come find you when he’s out” the lady behind the front desk informs.

The distraught blonde nods and thanks the woman before going to the waiting room. There was nothing to do but wait.

Diane kept replaying this over and over in her mind. How could she have kicked him out like that? She was the reason he was here.

Her eyes pool with tears yet again and she quickly wipes them. She felt like an idiot. Their problems could’ve been solved had she not overanalyzed. She hated how she let her thoughts spiral. 

⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀  
⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀——⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀  
⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀  
Sam was met with the sound of a heart monitor. His eyes slowly flutter open to a dimly lit room. Was he in the hospital?

He couldn’t remember anything except for driving to Woody’s one second and everything going black the next. 

The more he comes to, the more all of the pain inside him started to settle in. He could feel that his leg was in a cast. Sam also knew he was covered in bruises. His entire body was aching with pain. 

As his senses start to come back to him, he feels a hand in his own. It was smaller than his, more dainty, and much softer. Sam didn’t have to even guess who the hand belonged to. He knew. 

“Diane...” he murmurs in a weak and tired voice. 

The moment she hears his voice, she perks up in the chair. She had been bent over and was trying to get as comfortable as possible in the hard chair. She had tried to sleep but due to the lack of comfort and her mind going a million miles a second, she couldn’t.

It was early in the morning, nearly five. Visiting hours wouldn’t be for a few more hours but the nurses had let her stay the night. If they hadn’t, she would’ve raised hell. There was no chance that Diane was going to leave Sam’s side. 

Diane steps up from the chair and moves closer to Sam’s bed. She wasn’t going to make him move. 

Her eyes meet his and she gently squeezes his hand. “I’m here...” she says in a soft voice. 

His face has a few bruises here and there along with some cuts, but besides that he still looked as handsome as ever. 

Sam could see the hurt in her face. She looked as if she had been crying for hours. That broke his heart. Especially knowing that all of the pain she was feeling was because of him. 

Because of the stupid words he said to her and now this. He felt terrible for putting her through all of this in just a few hours. 

“W-where... am I?” he questions. Sam knew he was in the hospital. That was obvious but he couldn’t recall anything. 

Her other hand comes up to his cheek, “you’re at the hospital. When you left... someone ran a red light and crashed into you. Don’t you worry darling, you’re okay. Your leg is broken and you had some internal bleeding but other than that... you’re just badly bruised and cut.”

She hoped it didn’t seem like she was downplaying his pain. The severity of his injuries didn’t matter, she couldn’t imagine the pain he was in. 

Sam nods. He was glad nothing else was broken and that his injuries weren’t too severe. As Diane begins to pull away, he squeezes her hand. “Diane... I-I’m... I’m sorry” he murmurs. 

Diane turns back toward him and shakes her head. “It’s okay. We’ll talk about it all later. For now just get some rest.”

He complies to that and watches as she takes a seat down next to him again. Neither one has let go of the other’s hand. 

“Oh and Diane?” Sam questions. He just had one more thing to say. 

“Yes?” Maybe he needed something. Extra blankets or another pillow. Sam usually slept with multiple. She could get a nurse in here to help him with whatever he needed.

“I love you... so much” he says softly and gives her another squeeze. 

A small and somewhat sad smile comes to her lips. She would be lying if she said that that their fight didn’t upset her anymore. Diane didn’t even have time to process all of it. She was still trying to on top of the accident. “I love you too.”

Though still in pain, unsure of the future of their relationship, it was true. Diane loved Sam more than anything. This fight was certainly going to be a difficult one to get through. Hopefully they could do it together. 

⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀  
⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀——⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀  
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“Are you sure you’re okay?” Diane questions, staying by Sam’s side as he comes into their house on crutches. 

The hospital had decided to release him after lunch since he was in good condition. Even though Diane knew that, she couldn’t help but worry about him. She didn’t want his injuries to be worsened. 

“Sweetheart... I told you I’m alright. I know you’re just looking out for me but I promise I’m fine” Sam insists.

She sighs, knowing she wasn’t going to win this one. “Okay fine. At least let me help you get comfortable on the couch. Then I’m going to get some tea going, everyone should be over soon.”

Frasier and Lilith, Woody, Carla, Norm, and Cliff were all coming by to see Sam. They hadn’t gotten a chance to do so while he was in the hospital which was fine. He was glad that they were coming to see him at all.

Diane leads Sam over to the couch and helps him get comfortable. She grabs an extra chair of theirs and helps him put his leg on it to keep is elevates. She then grabs a couple of pillows for his leg and his back as well. “Okay... do you need a blanket or anything else?” 

Sam shakes his head, “this is all fine. Thank you sweetheart.” 

She gives him a half smile and nods then starts for the kitchen. Hopefully she could have the tea done before everyone arrived. 

“Wait... wait...” Sam says and grabs her hand before Diane can leave the room.

“Yes?” Diane questions. Perhaps he needed more pillows or something to eat. 

“Before you make yourself busy with a million other tasks... I want to talk to you. I want to talk about last night” he replies.

Diane feels a slight pang in her chest and looks down. Thinking of last night still somewhat hurt. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t constantly thinking about it. She was still worried for their relationship and the future.

“Okay... I suppose we can do that.” Now her heart was racing. What was he going to say? Maybe he wanted to end things after she kicked him out like that. After all, if she hadn’t then he wouldn’t be in the cast or the pain he was in. 

Sam pats the cushion next to him and she complies, sitting down slowly. Her palms were beginning to sweat a little. She knew she was becoming nervous for no reason. 

He takes her hand into hers and gently squeezes it. “I should start off by saying that I’m sorry. I know sorry isn’t even enough to apologize for how I treated you. You deserve much better than that. You had every right to kick me out last night. I hope you can forgive me... and when I’m healed, you’ll still want me around.”

“I’ll still want you around... Sam you’re my world. Last night hurt me a lot... it’ll take some time for me to get over it. But, I know you were upset and I know you didn’t mean it.” Talking about the fight actually made Diane feel better. It was just one step toward healing. 

Sam suddenly moves his hand from Diane’s and puts his arm around her, pulling her in closer. “I know you do so much everyday. From writing, to teaching at BU whenever you’re needed, and to taking care of the house when I’m not here to help. I never should’ve implied otherwise.”

Diane leans in to him, resting against his shoulder. “You really shouldn’t have but it’s okay... I’ll get over it. Sometime in the next... oh century or two” she jokes. 

He chuckles at that, hearing her make a joke felt good. It felt like they were doing better. “I was thinking...” Sam begins. 

Before he can continue she jumps in with a witty remark, “oh I thought I heard rusty gears moving.”

Sam rolls his eyes with a smile, “anyway... I was thinking about maybe finding a new routine for us. You know, I’ll start coming home earlier from the bar. It’ll give us more time together. I know that’s what had you upset.”

She nods, “it just got to the point where we were always missing each other. Staying up late became difficult when I had some early mornings... and I mean can you blame me for missing my guy? We haven’t gone out together in probably a month or two... a lot changed when we got married” Diane points out.

They both knew marriage wasn’t easy, especially in the first few years. However, Diane knew their love was strong enough to get through anything. They had gotten through years of highs and lows. Nothing could keep them apart. 

“Well with you not at the bar anymore, it became more difficult to see each other except at night or in the mornings. That’ll changed, I’ve missed you too. A lot actually” Sam admits.

Diane smiles at that, knowing he missed her too made her feel loved. “Okay how about this: you start coming home earlier and I’ll stop by the bar for an hour or two during the day? I’ll help with whatever you need and get some writing done in your office.”

Sam nods and smiles too, “that sounds great to me. I’m glad we could figure this out.” 

Diane shifts slowly so that she can look at him. She presses a hand against his cheek, and scans his face. She sighs as she rubs her thumb over his cheek. 

“What’s wrong sweetheart?” he questions. 

She shakes her head, “I just can’t believe I almost lost you... even if the accident hadn’t happened I don’t think I’d be able to handle another breakup. If I had lost you in the accident... I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

His hand rubs along her back, “try not to focus on it. I’m here and I’ll be okay. We’ll be okay” Sam assures. 

Diane nods, knowing he was right. She then leans down a kisses him gently on the lips. It felt so good to feel his lips against hers again. 

Pulling away, Diane slowly and carefully moves from his hold. She then slides off the couch, “I should get that tea going.”

They pair share a look, both knowing that with time they’d be even better than before. She gives him a smile and he smiles in return.

Diane walks away from the couch and toward their kitchen with a more positive mindset. It was good that they had discussed the fight. She already felt ten times better.

All would be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! I really hope you guys liked this one because I loved writing it. I think it’s up there in my favorites. Also I may change the title, I’m not quite sure how I feel about it lol. Anyway, kudos/comments are welcome always ❤️


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